Clear your calendar - It's going down! Knowledge Nation kicks off on April 14th, and you're invited to take part in the festivities. Australian Technology Park (Locomotive Street) is our meeting spot for a day of fun and excitement. Come one, come all, bring a guest, and hang loose. This is going to be epic!

12:00 PM

Schedule Element

Clear your calendar - It's going down! Schedule Blocks kicks off on May 20th, and you're invited to take part in the festivities. Splash HQ (122 W 26th St) is our meeting spot for a night of fun and excitement. Come one, come all, bring a guest, and hang loose. This is going to be epic!

The digital revolution of the twenty-first century has only just begun. In the next decade, data, technology, science and engineering will transform the global economy. Every nation’s task is to invest in its human capital to develop the resilience and flexibility that allows its best minds to respond intelligently and creatively to this revolution. What must we do to capitalise on the changing technological landscape and ensure Australia’s prosperity into the twenty-first century?

The purpose of Knowledge Nation – held on 14 April 2016 – was to drive the implementation of the Australian Government’s National Innovation and Science Agenda, released in December 2015. The summit brought together key leaders from the innovation, science and technology ecosystem, including entrepreneurs, business leaders, investors, researchers and scientists, and policymakers: the people who will make the most difference to Australia’s future as an innovative nation.

The discussion covered four themes: Culture and Capital; Collaboration; Talent and Skills; and Government as an Exemplar.

The summit program included collaborative workshops in which participants produced a set of ideas for each theme. These workshops were integrated with addresses from key government ministers and a panel discussion with four leaders of Australia’s innovation ecosystem.

Australian Technology Park is on Sydney’s doorstep. It is approximately five kilometres from Sydney’s central business district and eight kilometres from Sydney Airport. It is adjacent to Redfern train station. Paid parking – accessible from Henderson Road in Eveleigh – is available.

Program

Knowledge Nation was held on 14 April 2016.

8:45 am–9 AM

Registration

Delegates will be registered and tea and coffee will be served in the registration area.

9 AM–9:40 AM

Welcome and keynote address

Australia’s Chief Scientist, Dr Alan Finkel AO, will welcome the delegates. The Hon Christopher Pyne MP, Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science, will deliver the keynote address, followed by a question-and-answer session moderated by The Australian’s Editor-at-Large, Paul Kelly.

9:40 AM–10:45 AM

Workshop session – Culture and Capital

Delegates will participate in the Culture and Capital workshop session. This session will be preceded by short provocations from Danny Gilligan, Co-founder and Managing Director, Reinventure Group, and Vish Nandlall, Chief Technology Officer, Telstra. The results of each workshop will be presented to the summit later in the day.

11 AM–12PM

Workshop session – Talent and Skills

Delegates will participate in the Talent and Skills workshop session. This session will be preceded by short provocations from David Thodey, Chair, CSIRO, and Matt Barrie, Chief Executive Officer, Freelancer.com. The results of each workshop will be presented to the summit later in the day.

12 PM–12.30 PM

Keynote address

The Hon Simon Birmingham MP, Minister for Education and Training, will deliver his speech to the summit followed by a question-and-answer session moderated by The Australian’s Paul Kelly.

12:30 PM–1.15 PM

Buffet lunch

The delegates will break for lunch.

1.15 PM–2 pm

Panel discussion – Visions of 2030

Delegates will remain seated for a panel discussion between Michelle Fitzgerald, Chief Digital Officer, City of Melbourne; Geoff Culbert, Chief Executive, GE Australia and New Zealand; Paul Shetler, CEO, Australian Government Digital Transformation Office; and Kellie Parker, Managing Director, Pilbara Assets and Development, Iron Ore, Rio Tinto, focusing on the transformations Australia is likely to undergo to 2030. The panel will be moderated by Alan Kohler, Editor in Chief of Business Spectator.

2 PM–2:15 PM

Break

Delegates will be free to network before the program resumes.They should locate their next group before 2.15 PM.

2:15 PM–2:40 PM

Workshop session – Collaboration

Delegates will break out into groups for their chosen workshop. This session will be preceded by short provocations from Ken Boal, Vice-President, Australia and New Zealand, Cisco, and Tanya Monro, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Research and Innovation, UniSA.

3:50 PM–4:30 PM

Keynote address – Government as an Exemplar

The Hon Angus Taylor MP, Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister with special responsibility for Cities and Digital Transformation, will address the delegates on digital government and smart cities.

4:30 PM

Summary and close

Paul Kelly will interview a selected group of participants on key outcomes of the day. The summit will close at 4:50 pm and refreshments will be served.

In 2015, Knowledge Society and the Office of the Chief Scientist announced the Knowledge Nation 100. The 100 are the rock stars of Australia’s new economy. They are the visionaries, intellects, founders and game changers building the industries and institutions to underwrite the nation’s future prosperity. The Prime Minister of Australia, the Hon Malcolm Turnbull MP, and the Hon Christopher Pyne MP, Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science, announced the 100 at a special luncheon in Sydney on 10 December.

Countries become what they celebrate. If Australia is to become a knowledge-rich society, it must celebrate the people who create and apply knowledge - the people building our knowledge economy. See the full list in The Australian.